JumpStart Theatre

JumpStart Theatre

MCCA Partners with JumpStart Theatre for Rural Expansion in 2019

Mountain City Center for the Arts is pleased to partner with the Educational Theatre Association’s (EdTA) JumpStart Theatre program as part of their 2019 expansion. MCCA’s unique geographical location in the tri-state area allows JumpStart Theatre to extend its reach into more rural areas of the country. The program equips middle school teachers with the skills and resources to produce their school’s first musical through a proven combination of hands-on mentoring and boot-camp style training. EdTA, in collaboration with NYC-based companies iTheatrics and Musical Theatre International (MTI), created JumpStart Theatre, a three-year program which builds sustainable musical theatre programs where none previously existed, and aims to:

Engage as many students as possible in all aspects of theatre, preparing them for high school, college, and the workforce by instilling 21st-century skills of collaboration, communication, problem solving, and creativity

Provide a practical and effective path to implementation in underserved middle schools nationwide

How it works: Schools are rigorously screened on multiple criteria, most notably, passion and commitment. Participant schools receive the materials, funding, expert training, and experienced teaching artist mentor support to produce one full-scale musical production each year on a three-year path to sustainable capability.

Timeline:

November 5, 2018

Applications Open

January 31, 2019

Applications Deadline

March 1, 2019

Notification date for schools chosen to move forward in the selection process

March 15-31, 2019

School site visits and interviews

April 8, 2019

Final selection of three schools for the 2019-20 schools year announced

Training & Ongoing Mentoring: Three teachers from each participating school are taught the techniques and skills to develop and manage a musical theatre program (everything from casting, to rehearsal schedules, to staging/choreography and technical requirements, to cultivating parent/community engagement, to achieving economic sustainability) through a series of three, full-day professional development “boot-camps” each year of the three-year program, plus an ongoing mentoring/coaching relationship with an experienced theatre teaching artist. Apply today!

Click here to access the printable JumpStart Theatre application. This document is provided so that school contacts may view and print the application in order to plan responses before submitting the application. Please note that applications will be accepted through January 31, 2019 (11:59 PM) and must be submitted using the online application form, which is accessible here.

The Educational Theatre Association is an international association with approximately 125,000 active members whose mission is shaping lives through theatre education. EdTA is home of the International Thespian Society, which has inducted more than 2.3 million students since its founding in 1929. The Educational Theatre Foundation (ETF) is the fundraising arm of EdTA, providing financial support to enhance theatre education and expand access to school theatre programs for every child.

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